Blue Apple trial will be broadcast on YouTube

The trial of 27 people for alleged money laundering through the Blue Apple company, begins on Monday, July 10 at the Second Criminal Court and will be broadcast, on the YouTube account of Panama’s Judicial Account.
Both the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Second Criminal Case Settlement Court have indicated that until Friday afternoon no legal appeal had been filed that could cause its suspension.
The court established August 22 as an alternate date, given the possibility that it could not be held next Monday.
On November 16, 2021, Judge Baloisa Marquínez decided to call two defendants to trial for the alleged commission of a crime against the public administration, in the form of corruption of servers and 11 people for alleged illegal association; while 26 investigated must answer for the crime against the economic order in the form of money laundering.
Among those charged are Luis Enrique and Ricardo Martinelli Linares, (sons of former President Ricardo Martinelli), as well as Federico Suárez, former Minister of Public Works, and Jorge Churro Ruiz Sánchez, former official of that portfolio.
Among the defendants are Joaquín Rodríguez, former manager of Factor Global Inc, and the lawyer Federico Barrios, legal representative of the Blue Apple company.
The investigation, began on October 30, 2017, and is related to an alleged corruption network made up of officials, businessmen and lawyers, who allegedly requested commissions from contractors for the award of bids with the State.
For this case, the court has already handed down a sentence of 10 years in prison against Adolfo Chichi De Obarrio, private secretary of former President Martinelli, which was communicated on March 13.
According to the judge, it was proven that there were three schemes to launder money: the use of corporations for the purchase and sale of real estate; the use of financial intermediaries, and the use of collection accounts. One of the accounts used by De Obarrio to launder was that of Blue Apple.
As an accessory penalty, the court imposed on De Obarrio the payment of over $5 million, which must be paid within 24 months to the National Treasury once the main sentence has been served.